Israeli advance treats ‘aging eyes’ with drops, not glasses

Until now, presbyopia, the normal loss of near focusing ability that occurs with age, can only be corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses or surgery.

By World Israel News Staff

Orasis Pharmaceuticals, an Israeli clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, announced in a statement on Thursday that its attempts to treat presbyopia with an innovative eye drop is progressing successfully.

“CSF-1 successfully demonstrated statistically significant improvement in distance-corrected near visual acuity of a 3-line or greater gain. In addition, CSF-1 demonstrated an exceptional safety and tolerability profile,” the statement says.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, presbyopia is a condition in which the eyes gradually lose the ability to see objects clearly up close.

It is said to occur as a result of the natural aging process and usually begins shortly after the age of 40. There is no way to stop or reverse the normal aging process that causes presbyopia, according to experts. Currently, presbyopia can only be corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses or surgery.

“We are pleased with CSF-1’s clinical performance in our Phase 2b study, as demonstrated by the positive efficacy, safety, and tolerability results,” said Ron Neumann, M.D., chief medical officer of Orasis.

“We look forward to presenting additional details at an upcoming ophthalmology meeting. In the meantime, we are moving forward as quickly as possible with our preparation for Phase 3,” he added.

The Mayo Clinic says that Presbyopia is caused by a hardening of the lens of the eye, which occurs with aging. As the lens becomes less flexible, it can no longer change shape to focus on close-up images. As a result, close-up items appear out of focus.

“The successful completion of the Phase 2b study is a significant milestone for Orasis. We are encouraged by these results and CSF-1’s potential to improve the quality of life for people with presbyopia,” said Elad Kedar, chief executive officer of Orasis.

“CSF-1 can potentially alleviate the burden of reading glasses and offer a meaningful solution for billions of people living with age-related farsightedness worldwide,” said the CEO.